Friday, 3 February 2017

Such an Idiot.

The Journey.

I try so very hard to treat people they way I would like to be treated. Religions call this the golden rule. It can be found in all of the worlds religions in one for or another . A form of it can be found in the Taoist writings of ancient Chinese Philosophy written way before the start of what we call AD.

But my apologies that I am slipping back into my teaching role. It always amazed me that students found it strange that things they thought came directly from the Bible were in fact around a long long time before then.

Sometimes the Golden Rule is very difficult to live by.

People can indeed be very difficult at times as I am sure I am. I was thinking about this yesterday when I shared my afternoon with my friends. I am sure they sometimes look at me and wonder what goes on in my head but I am sure they think I am a fair person and would never ever hurt another or treat person unfairly.

So they must have wondered where I was going when I shared the following little story.

A man owned a small small farm near in central Fife.

One day he was visited by an investigator from the Inland Revenue. They had got a tip off that he was not paying proper wages to his workers and had come out out to interview him.

"I need a list of your employees and how much you pay them," demanded the investigator.

"Well," replied the farmer , "there's my ranch hand who's been with me for 3 years. I pay him £1200 a month plus free room and board.

The cook has been here for 18 months, and I pay her £900 per month plus free room and board.

He then stopped for a moment to consider.

Then there's the half-wit. He works about 18 hours every day, with no days off, and does about 90% of all the work around here. He makes about £10 per week and pays his own room and board.

But, I buy him a bottle of whiskey every Saturday night, and he also sleeps with my wife occasionally."

"That's the guy I want to talk to... the half-wit," says the investigator.

"You're talking to him," replied the Farmer.

I hope you have a wonderful day we might often feel like a half- wit but it is nice to be nice and any goodness shared can only come back around.

About Me

Ralph now resides in the Fife village of Freuchie, a short distance from the Forth Rail and Road Bridges, and from his birthplace of Rosyth.
Ralph settled in Fife in 2006, after some 40 years of residence in different places around Scotland, where he worked as a minister of religion and then as a teacher. He now paints as a vocation, and is inspired by the beauty of his surroundings - natural and structural.
Ralph's artwork is a vibrant and eclectic mix of Landscape Paintings, Seascape Paintings, Abstract Paintings, Still Life Paintings, People Portraits and Animal Portraits. His favoured medium is acrylic. He also uses pastel. This variety ensures that Ralph's work is alway fresh and original.
Ralph has never been to art-school and has not received professional training. His work is organic and comes from his heart. He has a unique and insightful appreciation of his locale. All this makes his work feel familiar yet stirring to the viewer.